Emergency knuckle for car couplings



E. R.. PACKER. EMERGENCY KNUCKLE FOR CAR COUPLlNGSL FvlLED MAR. 5. 1921-.

Jan. 23, :Puf

Jan. 23, 1923., l l 11,442,965.

E. R. PACKEH. EMERGENCY KNUCKLE FOR CAR COUPLINGS.

`, FILED MAB- 5 1921 2s EEEEEEEEEEEE Patented dan.. 213i i923 `EBEN RAY PACKER, OF NEW' RGG-IELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO Q. & C. COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AKCORPURATON F MAINE.

EMERGENCY KNUCKLE FOR CAR C'UPLINGS.

Application nled March 5,

i( 10 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, 'Enma Riti' Packen, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of iiVestchester and State of New York, have invented new and. useful Improvements in lilmergency Knuckles for Car louplings, of which the :followingl is a s})eciti cation.

This invention relates to emergency knuckles for car couplings and consists of an improved construction and arrangeu'ient thereof more fully to adapt it for unirersal use with the many standard types or makes4 of car couplings and which in addition possesses important features and advantages over the types of knuckles as heretofore `eniployed particularly in the distribution of the metal to obtain a strengthened structure.

My improved emergency knuckle is particularly designed for use with the many standard types of railway cai' coiuplings which is well understood are universally made in accordance with the M. C. B. standards but which vary considerably, particulai-ly in the shapes and contours of the draw heads and therefore impose strict constructional limitations which must be complied with in the production of a practical emergency coupling, My impro-vcd knuckle is designed to conform to these standards and moreover is of an improved `construction which meets the many other and important conditions of this particular art.

Important features of my present invention which contribute to successfully meeting the many requirements include the following: It .is peculiarly formed to be interchangeable with the standard knuckles of the many types of car couplings now ou the market so as to be `adapted for replacingl the regular knuckles when face worn or broken: it isadapted for elfecting the locking` of the parts where the usual locking parts are broken or defective; it is designed to be effective in coupling where one of the pin lugs of the draw head is broken off; it` is adapted for effecting the coupling with normal spacine` so as not to increase the distance between the cars thereby avoiding danger of injury to trainmen and permitting the proper connection of the air lines between cars; it is constructed so `as to insure the successful automatic operation in coupling the cars and may be conveniently and readily installed so as to avoid delays to traffic.

1921. Serial No. 449,712.

Further important features of the emergency knuckle structure of my present invention consists of an improved design of an external holding lug type knuckle havthe horizontal upper and lower walls of the coupler head in the direction edgewise of the metal so that maximum strength is obtained, and further in the provision of an internally acting retaining lug adapted to prevent ei:- cessive swinging or rotation of the knuckle inwardly" of such dimensions as not to require removal of the locking^ parts to permit of-its application.

Thedescribed and other important features and advantages of my present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals are applied to the corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawingsf- Y Fig. lis a view inside elevation illustrating an approved embodiment of the features of myv invention and showing my improved knuckle applied to a coupler head.`

Fig. 9. is a plan view thereof showing the As shown in the drawing my improved' knuckle is illustrated as used to replace the ordinary knuckle of a standard type of railway car coupler. The body or supporting head l of the coupler shown is of a standard modern type of draw bar head of hollow forni, as illustrated, having its forward active surface of the usual contour conforming to the M. C. B. standards. As will he noted this type of coupler headwis provided with the usual inclined jaw closing surface 2, superimposed pivot pin supporting lugs 3, 3 and is provided at its rear with a latei'al wall or partition 4 of a form and size which would prohibit the use of an elongated holding arm of the jaw or knuckle 5 as heretol fore customarily used.

ioo

is formed with the locking jaw S of a contour conforming to the M. C. B. standards and is provided with a vertical aperture 9 therethrough to receive the usual pivot pin 10 of the coupling whereby it is held in position. To retain the locking jaw 8 of the emergency knuckle in locking or coupling position, an external holding lug` 12 is formed integrally thereon and adapted to enga-,ege the outer surface of the coupler head. The lug 12 is therefore operative to prevent swinging forwardly of the coupling,- jaw 8 and accordingly performs the function of the usual locking` means in preventing releasingmovement of the knuckle in the forward direction.` It follows therefrom that in the event of the locking* means of a coupler becoming broken the employment of this emergency knuckle will permit ot' obtaining` an effective coupling` with a jaw of ordinary type of a coacting` couplingmember. In automatic coupling under the described conditions it will be understood that the ordinary coupling* knuckle of the coacting coupler will be the swingingh or movable member and will be deflected inwardly by the surface 2 into the locking position in the usual manner.

To 'successfully so operate and to be positive in its automatic coupling operation it is required that the emergency coupling` jaw 8 shall also be secured from rotation or swinging inwardly toward or into its supporting1 head 1. For this purpose I have provided the emergency knuckle element with a rearwardly extending' arm portion 14 having its outer surface 15 suitably posi- Itioned to engage with the inner surface of the side wall 13 of the coupler head thereby to act as a. stop to prevent excessive movement inwardly of the j aw portion 8 whereby the latter cannot swing inwardly sufficient to prohibit the proper automatic coupling. The provision of both the external and internal 'engaging portions 12 and 14 of the knuckle will thus operate to secure the emergency knuckle in operative locked position at all times and the stops thus formed occupy but small space which permits of their being' made with proper clearance to be interchangeable with the many types of coupler construction.

A particular and important feature resides in a special formation of the externa-l blug 12 whereby it will engage the draw bar or coupler head in a manner whereby the pressures set up by the pullinp,` stresses on the knuckle will be resisted by the horizontal top and bottom walls 16 and 17 of the coupler head and in consequence danger of damage to the coupler head is `reduced to the minimum. lly this desirable arrangement Ythere is produced a luch type of knuckle which does notl apply the holding` pressures to the more or less thin vertical wall 13 oi' the coupler head which is an objmctionable feature of certain types of emergency knuckles hereinbefore used. For the purpose of avoiding' this objection lY have formed the lun` 12 as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, of suitably increased depth whereby the top and bottom marginal edge portions 18 thereof` will be positioned to engage. ther outer surface of the coupler head at the portions thereof defining or forming' the outer edges of the upper and lower horizontal walls 1G and 1T of the coupler head. As a result the resistance to outward movement of the emergency knuckle will be opposed mainly by these horizontal walls and thereby by metal on edge or in con'ipression offering the maximum resistance and correspondinnly reducingT or eliminatingdanger of damage to the draw bar hea d.

rVhile l. have described an approved elnbodiment of the features of my invention it will be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having` described my invention l claim 1. An emergency knuckle adapted to take the place of the ordinary knuckle in a car coupling` comprising a body provided with an aperture for receivinggj the pivot pin of the coupling; a coupling` `a\v and retaining means for retaining;` said jaw in locking' position comprising` an externally extended shoulder formed to engage the outer surface of the coupler or draw bar head to bear upon the portions thereof definingthe ends or edges of the upper and lower horizontal walls of the head member. substantially as described 2. An emergency knuckle adapted to take the place of the ordinary knuckle in a car coupling' comprisingy a body provided with an aperture for receiving` the pivot pin of the coupling, a coupling` and retaining means for retainingsaid jaw in locking position comprising' an externally extended shoulder integrally formed on the jaw to engage the outer surface of the coupler or draw bar head and having its bearing portion engaging said surface within the plane of a horizontal wall of the coupler head, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereof I have signed mv name to this specification. i

EBEN RAY PACKEH. 

